Ardipithecus is a genus of an extinct
hominine that lived during
Late Miocene and
Early Pliocene in
Afar Depression,
Ethiopia. Originally described as one of the earliest ancestors of humans after they diverged from the main ape lineage, the relation of this
genus to human ancestors and whether it is a
hominin is now a matter of debate. Two fossil
species are described in the literature:
A. ramidus, which lived about 4.4 million years ago during the early
Pliocene, and
A. kadabba, dated to approximately 5.6 million years ago (late
Miocene). Behavioral analysis showed that
Ardipithecus could be very similar to those of
chimpanzees, indicating that the early human ancestors were very chimpanzee-like in behaviour.